It is usual in the prior art for merchanise in retail stores, for example, to be placed on shelves in rows, which rapidly become disorganized as the merchandise is progressively removed by customers. Attempts have been made to incline the shelves and in the retail stores, to install wire partitions to separate items so that the items may slide down the shelves by gravity in an orderly manner as they are removed. The problem in such a design is that in order to achieve an angle of inclination steep enough so as to function properly, standard shelves cannot be used, and special shelves must be made. Moreover, the merchandise dispensed by such a gravity feed system can only be viewed conveniently at eye level or above, in that the inclination of the label on the merchandise is always at somewhat of a downward angle. Accordingly, the dispensing shelf in such a prior art system that is slightly, or substantially below eye level, requires the customer to lean, or stoop down, in order to see the label.
More complex dispensing systems which incorporate spring-biased mechanical followers, or the like, have also been proposed in the prior art. However, such prior art spring-actuated dispensers are difficult to reload, and they can create chaotic results if they should malfunction, in that all of the merchandise is then spilled out of the shelves at once. Also, there is a tendency for the prior art mechanically-actuated dispensers to be loaded improperly, so that they do not dispense the merchandise in a reliable manner. In addition such systems suffer from a disadvantage in that any device with moving parts is subject to breakage and malfunctioning.
Prior art dispensers have also been developed for the specific purpose of dispensing round bottles, and the like. Such prior art dispensers usually employ some means by which the bottles are caused to roll down a chute. However, there is no assurance in such dispensers that the labels of the displayed bottles will face forward and be readable.
Bins have also been utilized in the prior art for storing large quantities of small items. However, this method tends to be disorganized, and it makes it difficult for store personnel to count the stock for inventory purposes. Moreover, the disarrayed appearance of the merchandise in such bins is unattractive to the customer and encourages improper replacement of items.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser and method whose primary function is to bring remaining items forward on a shelf in a retail store, or the like, as each item is removed by a customer, thus eliminating the need for store personnel manually to move the items from time-to-time and bring them up into alignment with the front edge of the shelf, in order that they will not be hidden from view.
Another object of the invention is to provide such an improved dispenser and method in which each item is automatically oriented as it is brought to the front of a row of such items so that its label may be easily read by the customers.
The dispensers of the invention are intended to be installed in groups along the shelves of a merchandising facility in side-by-side relationship, and they are intended particularly to meet the requirements of the supermarket, or the like, where the customers help themselves, rather than being served by store personnel.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a convenient apparatus for storing items and for preventing unwanted mixing of items, with the apparatus having the capability of being factory-loaded and installed at the point of purchase.
Yet another object is to provide a dispenser which is constructed to promote organization on the shelf of the supermarket, and the like, and which may be constructed to fit each specific size of container of the various merchandise items, thus reducing the possibility of replacement of the product in an improper location, and promoting more efficient inventory counting.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a dispenser which is capable of rotating stock automatically, in that the dispenser may either be left in place, or very readily removed from the shelf or support, so that merchandise may be loaded into the rear of the dispenser producing a desired "last in-last out" rotation of the stock. It is also possible in the embodiment to be described to load the dispenser from the front, if so desired.
Further advantages of the design of the invention are its ability to support items so that they cannot be dislodged, for example, when subject to earthquakes, or the like; its ability to align the various merchandise items in a row on a shelf in a manner such that the items may easily be seen by a standing customer, even if the merchandise is on the lowest shelf; and its ability to be attached to a pegboard, or other vertical support, in addition to being mounted on a shelf as mentioned above.
In general, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide the merchandising industry with a more efficient means for displaying and dispensing items to the best advantage, in that the items are always displayed at their optimum angle of view, with their labels visible, and they are available for easy access to the customer at no requirement for personnel time and effort.